It’s Election Day. Here’s what to know about voting in Alaska.

Polls are open at precincts across the state today, Tuesday, Nov. 5, from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Here’s what to know about the election, from how to learn more about the candidates to when we’ll know the results.

But first: What’s on the ballot?

All voters across the state will have a chance to rank the eight candidates for president and vice president and the four candidates for Alaska’s sole U.S. House seat. Plus, voters will also rank candidates in their local state House and Senate races. 

Even beyond the presidency, it’s an election with high stakes — control of Congress and the state Legislature is up for grabs. Half of the state Senate is up for election this year, and all of the state House. State lawmakers set policy on things from education and energy to the Permanent Fund dividend, resource development and more.

There will also be two propositions on the statewide ballot:

• Ballot Measure 1 would increase the state minimum wage from $11.73 to $15 an hour by 2027 and allow workers to earn sick leave. A yes vote would increase the minimum wage. A no vote would keep the minimum wage where it is today.
• Ballot Measure 2 would eliminate ranked choice voting and the state’s top-four nonpartisan open primary system. A yes vote would repeal ranked choice and open primaries. A no vote would keep the system in place as it is today.

State judges across Alaska are also up for retention. Though judges are appointed by the governor from a pool of candidates selected by the independent Alaska Judicial Council, voters are periodically asked whether judges should remain on the bench. Judges must get 50% of the vote to retain their positions.

Wait, there are eight presidential candidates on the ballot? Do I have to rank them all?

No. If you choose to vote for only one, your selection will be counted as your first choice.

As a practical matter, if you’re voting for one of the major candidates — Donald Trump or Kamala Harris — it does not matter whether you rank or not. Your ballot will stay with that candidate until the final round. (This assumes Harris and Trump get more votes than the other six candidates on the ballot.)

If, however, you choose one of the third-party candidates, ranking would give you more say. The ranked choice ballot essentially asks you, “If your favorite is eliminated, who do you like best among the remaining candidates?”

What about ranking other candidates, like for Congress or state House or Senate? How does ranked choice voting work, anyway?

Just like in the presidential race, you’re not required to rank more than one. In races with only two candidates — like, perhaps, your state House or Senate race — ranking does not make a difference. But in races with three or more candidates, ranking a second and third choice does give you more of a choice over who represents you.

One way to think about it is this: A ranked choice election is a lot like a runoff election, except it’s conducted instantaneously. In fact, Alaska’s style of ranked choice voting is known as an “instant runoff.” If you rank candidates second, third and so on, it’s like voting in a runoff election, except you only have to go to the polls once.

KTOO and the Anchorage Daily News made a video explaining the open primary and ranked choice system in 2022, when the system was brand new, which you can watch below. (Short on time? Skip to the 53-second mark for an explanation of how to mark your ballot in the general election and an explanation of how the instant runoff works.)

Where can I learn more about the candidates?

For a rundown of the candidates on the ballot, the nonprofit Alaska Beacon has a voter guide with candidate questionnaires and other resources. Candidates also file official statements with the Division of Elections, and you can read or listen to those at the division’s website. 

The division also has an Official Election Pamphlet that it has mailed to voters, and it’s also available online — look for “General Official Election Pamphlet.” (The digital pamphlets are specific to your Division of Elections region. Check this document to determine what region you’re in.)

For more on the U.S. House race, Alaska Public Media hosted a debate between the top two candidates, incumbent Mary Peltola and Nick Begich III. You can watch that here.

To learn more about the judges standing for retention, the Alaska Judicial Council publishes evaluations of their performance based on a variety of measures, including surveys of the people who interact with them professionally, like attorneys, jurors, police officers and court employees. The Judicial Council publishes those evaluations online, and this year, it recommends retaining all sitting judges. 

Most judges are not facing organized campaigns against them, with one exception: conservative groups are seeking to oust Anchorage Superior Court Judge Adolf Zeman, who issued a controversial ruling on correspondence schooling that was later overturned on technical grounds by the Alaska Supreme Court.

How can I find my polling place?

The Division of Elections’ My Voter Portal allows you to look up your current registration information. Make sure you’re registered at your current address. 

The portal also lists the name and address of your polling location. On Election Day, Nov. 5, polls are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

You can access the portal at myvoterportal.alaska.gov.

How can I check my voter registration?

Also go to myvoterportal.alaska.gov.

To vote in most races, you must have registered to vote by Oct. 6. However, Alaska law does allow registration as late as Election Day for the purpose of voting for president and vice president.

What do I need to bring to the polling place?

To vote, you need to bring an ID. That can include a driver’s license or state ID card, a military ID, a voter registration card, a hunting or fishing license, a birth certificate or a utility bill, government check, bank statement, paycheck or another government document that includes the voter’s name and current address, according to the Division of Elections.

Electioneering laws prohibit you from displaying political slogans or campaign materials within 200 feet of a polling place, so leave your campaign hats and T-shirts at home. 

What should I do if the line at my polling place is long, and it’s about to close?

Stay in line. As long as you’re in line by 8 p.m., state law allows you to vote.

What if I go to the wrong polling place? 

If, on Election Day, you go to the precinct you are not assigned to (again, you can check your polling place at myvoterportal.alaska.gov), you may not appear in the precinct register, where poll workers look up voters’ information. If you’re not in the precinct register, you’ll have to submit a questioned ballot. 

(And an important note: If you go to the wrong polling place, election officials may not have the correct ballot for your state House and Senate districts. Because you have to live in a state House or Senate district to vote for your state lawmakers, that means your ballot may not be fully counted. For that reason, election officials advise against going to the wrong polling place.)

What if I’m away from home on Election Day and I did not request an absentee ballot? Are there locations where anyone from any precinct in Alaska can vote?

Yes. There are several polling locations across the state that have the correct ballot for every House district in the state. They include Division of Elections regional offices in Anchorage, Fairbanks, Juneau, Wasilla, Kenai and Nome; Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport; the University of Alaska Anchorage Student Union; the University of Alaska Fairbanks Wood Center; the State Office Building in Juneau; and, in Prudhoe Bay, Service Area 10 Camp Building 8.

What exactly is a questioned ballot?

You may have to submit a questioned ballot if your voter registration is inactive, your address has recently changed, you show up at the wrong precinct, you don’t have ID, or an observer challenges whether you’re qualified to vote.

Questioned ballots look like normal ballots. The state Questioned Review Board, a bipartisan body, reviews questioned ballots after the polls close, reviewing your qualifications and determining whether you’re entitled to vote in the election. The Division of Elections says you will be contacted by mail if your ballot is rejected or only partially accepted.

If I mess up my ballot, can I get a new one?

If you are voting in person, yes. Talk to the election workers at your precinct, and they can help you.

If you are voting absentee, and you submit your ballot with a mistake, no. Alaska does not have a “notice-and-cure” mechanism that would allow voters to correct issues like a missing witness signature or a missing identifier on your absentee ballot, so be sure to read the instructions carefully.

However, you can vote in person even if you’ve requested an absentee ballot. So if you mess up your absentee ballot, you can destroy it and cast your ballot in person instead.

Does my job have to give me time off to vote on Election Day?

In some cases, yes. If your shift begins less than two hours after polls open and ends less than two hours before polls close — so, if your shift begins before 9 a.m. and ends after 6 p.m. — state law allows you to “without loss of pay, take off as much working time as will enable voting.” 

That means your employer must, by state law, allow you paid time off to vote if you do not have two consecutive hours off of work while polls are open.

Will I be automatically mailed a ballot for this election?

No. You will not be mailed a ballot unless you request an absentee ballot. The deadline to do that was Oct. 26.

This is different from municipal elections in communities that conduct elections primarily by mail, including Anchorage and Juneau. You will not be mailed a ballot for the Nov. 5 election unless you specifically request one.

If you’re reading this and you don’t already have an absentee ballot, it’s too late to get one.

What if I need help voting, or I can’t leave the house, and I did not request an absentee ballot?

You can still vote. You can bring a trusted assistant into the voting booth with you. Or, you can use a tablet that provides magnified, high-contrast and audio ballots. 

If you can’t leave the house, a trusted assistant can pick up a special needs ballot for you.

There is more information about special needs voting at this page on the Division of Elections’ website: elections.alaska.gov/voter-information/voting-assistance/. 

How do I submit my absentee ballot? 

Ballots must be postmarked at a post office or dropped off at a polling location — including early voting locations and Election Day voting locations — by 8 p.m. Election Day, Nov. 5. This year’s ballots require two stamps, but the U.S. Postal Service will still deliver them with insufficient postage. 

Because most mail is postmarked in Anchorage and Juneau, it’s a good idea to have a postal worker hand-cancel, or hand-postmark, your ballot at the counter — and keep in mind that postal clerks are only available while the post office counter is open. 

If you miss your chance to mail your ballot, you can still drop it off at a polling place until 8 p.m. on Election Day.

Though they must be postmarked by Election Day, ballots can arrive from within the U.S. as late as 10 days after Election Day, and from outside the U.S. up to 15 days after Election Day.

You can check the status of your absentee ballot using the My Voter Portal at myvoterportal.alaska.gov.

Special provisions are made for military, overseas and other voters covered by the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act. There’s more information about military and overseas voting at the Division of Elections’ website.

Are there drop boxes to submit my ballot?

No. There are no drop boxes for ballots in this election, unlike in 2020. The Alaska Division of Elections is not continuing the collaboration with the Municipality of Anchorage that provided drop boxes that year. You have to return your absentee ballot by mail or at a polling place.

When will we know the election results?

The first batch of results is expected around 9 p.m. on Election Day, with updates through the evening and possibly into the early morning hours as additional ballots are counted. The initial results will reflect voters’ first-choice votes, but in close races, it could be weeks before the final results are known.

Join Alaska Public Media for live election coverage from 9-11 p.m. on Election Night. Listen live on KSKA 91.1 FM or stream the show online. We’ll also have ongoing coverage at alaskapublic.org/elections.

Because absentee ballots can arrive as late as 15 days after Election Day, counting will continue as additional votes come in. The Division of Elections will post updated counts on Nov. 13, Nov. 15 and Nov. 20.

The Division of Elections plans to calculate the winners of the ranked choice election on the 15th day after Election Day, Nov. 20, once all ballots are counted. This is necessary to determine the winners of races where no candidate got more than 50% of the first-choice vote — it’s like an automatic runoff election.

The results will remain unofficial until they’re certified by the State Review Board. The target date for certification is Nov. 30.

Where can I get help?

If you need the answer to a question that isn’t in this guide, contact the Division of Elections’ Director’s Office at 907-465-4611, or email elections@alaska.gov.

If you feel your voting rights have been violated — or if you simply have a question about your federal voting rights — you can contact the federal Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division, which is actively monitoring elections in parts of Alaska and is open to complaints and questions from across the country. For more information, visit www.civilrights.justice.gov or call 800-253-3931.

Last updated: Nov. 5, 2024